On December 13, 1999, we will begin mailing
the Graduate Loan profile for those students who attended the Exit Interviews
last week. If you were unable to attend, please schedule an
appointment as soon as possible. Please feel free to e-mail at Finaid@kentlaw.edu
or call at (312)906-5180.

The fall 1999 Stafford and alternative loan disbursements
are continuously arriving in the Office of Financial Aid. Once students'
loan disbursements are received, the financial aid file is reviewed for
completeness and accuracy. The disbursement is processed, forwarded
to the Bursar's Office and the student receives a notification email message.
This process takes approximately 3-5 business days.

Once your loan disbursement has been credited
to your account, either by EFT or paper endorsement, a Refund Check will
be issued if a credit balance remains on your account. Refund Checks
are issued by the Bursar's Office typically 3-5 business days of the credit
balance date. If you have any questions about your Refund Check,
please consult with the Bursar's Office.

Entrance Interview

ATTENTION FIRST YEAR LAW STUDENTS:If you will be a first year day or evening law
student at Chicago-Kent in 1999-2000 and planning to borrow a federal Stafford
loan, an Entrance Interview is required. The entrance interview process
is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to complete
an entrance interview can result in your federal loans being canceled with
your lender.

For you convenience, you can complete your entrance
interview on-line. You will have to supply your name and date of
birth, and then carefully review your borrower rights and responsibilities.
Next, you will answer a few simple questions about loan types, interest
rates, deferments, repayment, etc. Your completed entrance interview
confirmation is then sent electronically to our office. Be sure to
print your confirmation page and keep it for your records. Remember
that you must complete your loan entrance interview before your loan can
be disbursed to you.

It is as easy as it sounds! Complete your
entrance interview right now at either site below:

If you missed the sessions that was held during Orientation and still
have not completed your Entrance Interview, please do so at one of the
above sites or come to the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible.
Please note that student loan disbursements cannot be made without your
Entrance Interview.

1999-2000 Financial Aid Processing

The Office of Financial Aid has nearly completed
processing Stafford and alternative loans for the 1999-2000 academic year.
However, student are still submitting loan requests on a daily basis.
These "last minute" loans are being processed as quickly as possible.
Students can expect to receive pre-printed applications/promissory notes
from their respective lenders 7-10 business days from the date the loan
is certified by Financial Aid. The promissory notes should be read
over carefully and then completed with references, signature and date.
For disbursement, mail the promissory note to the indicated address.
Please remember that federal Stafford and alternative loans cannot be disbursed
unless the promissory note is received by the lender.

In processing student loans, files will be carefully
reviewed. If documents are missing, if there are any discrepancies
in information, or if any matters are unclear about your borrowing plans
a counselor from our office will contact students by either email, telephone
or mail. We will make every effort to be proactive and efficient
to ensure your student loans are disbursed in a timely manner for the fall
semester.

Recall that the priority deadline for 1999-2000
financial aid processing was June 1, 1999. Files will be processed
in the order received and completed. If the FAFSA
has not been submitted and/or the FINANCIAL AID GUIDE AND APPLICATION materials
have not been picked up from the Office of Financial Aid, please do so
immediately.
If you have questions about the status of your financial aid file, feel
free to contact our office for assistance.

Office Hours

The Office of Financial Aid is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM
to 6:00 PM and Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. We are located on the
second floor in Suite 230. Please feel free to stop in our office
during business hours with any concerns or questions you may have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What types of financial aid can I receive at a law student at
Chicago-Kent?

A: Because the federal nor state governments have grant programs
for graduate students, as a law student at Chicago-Kent you would be eligible
to receive the federal Stafford loan, alternative loans and/or merit and/or
need-based scholarships. In order to receive student loans, you have
to be enrolled in a degree-seeking program and enrolled at least half-time
(6 semester hours for federal loans and 3 semester hours for alternative
loans).

Q: How can I receive a Chicago-Kent scholarship?

A: the Admissions Office administers all scholarships.
You can reach their office at (312) 906-5020 or email at admit@kentlaw.edu.
You can also do a scholarship search on the web at fastweb.com.

Q: How do I apply for financial aid?

A: The first step to take in order to receive financial aid for
each
academic year is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
or the FAFSA. You should complete
the FAFSA on January 1st of the academic
year you plan to enroll. Remember to use the Chicago-Kent school
code on your FAFSA—E00773.
When you have completed the FAFSA,
you will be mailed a Student Aid Report (SAR) in approximately 4-6 weeks.
Be sure to review your SAR thoroughly and make corrections if necessary.
The Chicago-Kent Office of Financial Aid will receive an electronic copy
of your SAR and determine what types of aid you are eligible to receive.

A: Yes. The Office of Financial Aid will send you an award
letter outlining your financial aid edibility. After you have reviewed
your award, there will be certain forms to complete to begin the student
loan process. For the 1999-2000 year, students planning to borrow
the federal Stafford loan must complete an Express Loan Application.
This form will indicate to our office what your requested loan amount is
and your choice in lender. Then our office will electronically certify
your loan and your lender will send you a pre-printed application/promissory
note to your home address. If you are planning to take an alternative
loan in addition to your Stafford loan, there is also an Express form for
this loan type that will be processed in the same manner.

Q: What is an application/promissory note?

A: This is your contract to receive a student loan and your agreement
with your lender to promise your repayment of the loan. A student
loan cannot and will not be disbursed in an application/promissory note
is not completed.

Q: When will I sign the application/promissory note?

A: You will usually receive your pre-printed application/promissory
note 7-10 business days from the date the Office of Financial Aid certified
your loan. You should review the printed information for accuracy,
making any necessary changes. Complete the application/promissory
note with two personal references, your signature and date. It should
then be mailed to the addressed indicated on the application. For
the Stafford loan you will need only sign the Master Application/Promissory
Note once while at Chicago-Kent. For the alternative
loan, you will be required to sign an application/promissory note every
year for every loan you borrow.

Q: What is the Master Application/Promissory Note?

A: This new form was the product of the 1998 Reauthorization
of federal student aid. It is called a "Master” promissory note because
when you sign it the first time, you are giving your school and the government
to process and disburse a student loan for you every year you are enrolled.
Your lender associated with the promissory note will remain the same.

Q: How will the Office of Financial Aid know how much I want to borrow
in a Stafford loan is I do not have to submit a promissory note every year?

A: The Office of Financial Aid will process your Stafford loans
subsequent to your Master Application/Promissory Note signing based on
the information you provide on your Express form. Remember, you submit
the Express form to our office once you have reviewed your Award Letter
and have determined how much you will need to borrow for the academic year.
A Stafford loan will not be processed unless you submit the Express form.
Receipt of your Express form gives our office your permission to certify
a Stafford loan and for your convenience, your lender and the government
will disbursed that loan based on your one-time signing of the Master Application/Promissory
Note.

Q: Why do I have to submit my federal Tax Return to the Office of
Financial Aid?

A: By law, every college/university is required to “verify” 30%
of their student body. The government randomly selects a 30% population
of students to perform the Verification Process. In completing this
process, our office simply compares your actual federal Tax Return to the
tax figures you reported on your FAFSA. If there are any discrepancies,
they are corrected and your financial aid awards are reviewed again for
eligibility. If any changes are made to your award due to Verification,
you will be contacted.

Q: What else?

A: On occasion, depending on the student and the circumstance,
our office may request citizenship verification, copy of social security
card, marriage license, confirmation of prior default status cleared, verification
of registration with selective service, etc. Be assured that if our
office requires any additional information from you to complete your financial
aid file, you will be contacted and one of our counselors will answer any
questions you may have.

Q: When will I receive my student loan disbursement?

A: The arrival of disbursements to the Office of Financial Aid
will vary, depending upon loan type, lender and disbursement method.
When our office receives your disbursement, your file will be reviewed
for completeness, your enrollment status will be confirmed and then your
disbursement will be forwarded to the Bursar’s Office. The Bursar
will notify you by email that a disbursement has been received for you.

Q: When will I receive a Refund check?

A: Once your tuition balance has been paid and if you have a
credit amount remaining on your student account, a Refund check will be
issued to you. Refund checks are issued 3-5 business days of the
date of your credit balance from the Bursar’s Office.

Q: What if the financial aid your office has awarded me is not enough
to cover my education and school expenses?

A: You have the right to appeal your financial aid package with
our office. Contact our office and consult with a counselor about
your circumstances and how to go about an appeal action.

Q: What if I am visiting another school. Can I still receive
financial aid?

A: Yes. You will have to complete a Study Abroad Request for
Financial Aid form. This form will provide us with the information
needed to contact your visiting school and set up a Consortium Agreement.
If you are planning to visit another school, see a counselor in our office
for more details.